Poster relating to dental health, London, England, 1992

An image of a young child being offered a chocolate bar carries the message: 'He said his first word today…so Mummy gave him something to rot away his teeth'. The dental health poster was produced by the Health Education Authority in 1992. A major cause of tooth decay is the over-consumption of sweets, sugar-sweetened foods and high-sugar fizzy drinks. Sugars encourage acid production. This slowly damages teeth, leading to decay.